The Active & Healthy Ageing Initiative – Towards an Age-friendly Maroondah 2015 – 2020 is Maroondah’s guide to prepare for an ageing population.  After extensive consultation with our community aged 45+ and with the wider community, Council has officially launched its initiative. The initiative also developed the Age-friendly Champions program to assist with the development of the Active & Healthy Ageing Initiative.  The community prioritised the 8 age-friendly domains and has identified age-friendly initiatives specific to Maroondah. The initiative will be jointly evaluated by Council and the community throughout its life cycle.

Please visit http://www.maroondah.vic.gov.au/ActiveHealthyAgeingInit.aspx to gain access to the documentation developed by our community.

Since 2013, Maroondah City Council has worked with the community to develop a long term vision for its future, looking ahead to the year 2040 and beyond. ‘Maroondah 2040’ is Council’s highest level strategic document and provides the roadmap for the community, Council and other levels of government to partner together and create a future that enhances Maroondah as a great place to live, work, play and visit. Thousands of seniors were involved in the community consultation and engagement process and as a commitment to Maroondah’s age friendly journey there are over 26 key directions in 2040 which directly link to the WHO Age-Friendly Framework and principles.

Maroondah City Council recently commenced the development program for the Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA) Initiative which links directly to these directions with all Council service areas committed to age friendly initiatives. The AHA Initiative will be the tool used to guide Maroondah’s journey to becoming an age friendly city. The initiative aims to explore the 8 age friendly themes by asking the older community to assess the current status and rating of age-friendliness in Maroondah and to identify priority areas for Maroondah. To assist in this process, an age friendly Champions Training Workshop was initiated in partnership with the Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria by nominating key stakeholders in the community within the age cohort to support and champion the age friendly work from the beginning.

Initial consultations with older people in Maroondah have indicated that they wish to continue to reside in the Maroondah community, remaining as independent as possible and living within their own homes. Older people want to age healthily, continue to learn and remain connected to family and friends. They wish to be treated with respect and contribute to community life as they age. Older people in Maroondah have already identified that they are seeking opportunities to remain physically active and socially connected, to have a choice of accessible local services and businesses and to be able to access relevant and timely information. Decreased mobility and confidence as people age requires that consideration is given to the accessibility, safety and security of outdoor spaces and buildings.
As a key ongoing strategy to ensure effective process Council is collaborating with COTA to progress its age friendly work. It is envisaged that Maroondah’s AHA Initiative will drive age friendly concepts and actions through partnerships and collaborations to enable older people to continue to contribute significantly to their communities, their families, the economy and society.